


Second-To-Last

by blueraven123



Series: The Air Series [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Aang (Avatar)-centric, Aang Is A Ray of Sunshine, Air Nomads (Avatar), Airbending & Airbenders, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Badass Toph Beifong, Big Brother Sokka (Avatar), Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Foreign Language, Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Humor, Language Barrier, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), M/M, Many Hugs Actually, Multi, My First Work in This Fandom, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Precious Aang (Avatar), Sokka is a genius, Sokka is a good brother, Surviving Air Nomads (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, aang gets a hug, and katara is a good sister, except with aang, i'm not copying myself, under demigod ravenclaw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27655534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueraven123/pseuds/blueraven123
Summary: Aang wasn't the only airbender to survive. The rest are long dead but their descendants remain in the world. After the war finally ends, one is found at the Western Air Temple. Can Aang finally make peace with the ghosts of his past and come to terms with his heritage? Ft. Hakoda, Bato, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko and Suki and an Azula redemption arc. First in The Air Series.
Relationships: Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Azula & Ursa (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Azula (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s), Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Ursa & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: The Air Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022148
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work for this fandom haha. I'm kinda nervous but also, let's gO!!!!

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone but my beautiful OC's.**

* * *

_**KATARA** _

The Western Air Temple was the most beautiful place she'd ever seen.

It didn't even bother her that it was hanging off of a cliff. She had to pause for a minute and stare in wonder at this amazing place. It took her breath away.

Sokka's jaw dropped as he came to stand next to her. His boomerang almost fell out of his hands before he came to his senses and clutched it to his chest.

"This place is...amazing."

The Southern temple had been homely, the Northern had been intellectual, the Eastern...well, according to Aang, it was mystic.

The Western was a _masterpiece._

Katara spun around slowly, almost fell right off the side and grabbed her brother for balance. He absentmindedly pulled her to safety, lost in his own trance.

"Hey, Twinkle Toes, get on the ground." Toph scowled, crossing her arms.

"I am?" Aang mumbled in confusion, admiring the place where he'd visited so long ago. Times had been simpler then.

"Um, no, someone just left the ground and didn't land again. So, unless Snoozles or Sugar Queen can fly now, you're not on the ground."

Sokka blinked, turning his gaze down to stare at Aang's very-much-on-the-ground feet.

"Wait." Toph jumped, her feet landing on the marble again with a loud thud. "No. You're standing. But I felt something just now! How it feels when you take off..."

"We're all tired, Toph." Katara smiled wearily. "I'm sure you just imagined it, or mistook the wind in your ears for something else."

"Hmmm."

* * *

_**SOKKA** _

The war was over.

It was surreal.

Ozai had been stripped of his bending and Azula...well, he didn't want to think of the girl ( _the same age as Katara-)_ who had been chained up and left to rot.

"So, it was you, huh?" Sokka peered at Zuko, wishing he had his detective bubble pipe thing.

"What?"

"You can _fly!_ You sneaky, vile-"

"Toph!" Katara admonished. The newly crowned Fire Lord probably knew she was joking but Katara still felt guilty about being horrible to him previously.

"Uh, I can't fly. What're you guys talking about?"

"Someone was flying. And it wasn't me! Toph could feel someone take off."

"Could it have been your bison?" Zuko frowned.

"No, Appa was asleep!"

They all blinked, staring at each other.

"Well, if it wasn't you, who was it?"

The five of them settled into an uneasy silence, accompanied only by the screams of Teo and the laughter of Suki and Haru. (They had all come back to the Western air temple for a break.)

"...would now be a bad time to tell ghost stories?"

* * *

_**AANG** _

" _Aang..."_

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!"_

He woke with a start, rocking in a ball as the last of the fire sizzled out next to him. He hadn't felt this bad since right before the invasion.

Somehow he doubted that "no Fire Lord Ozai, you're not wearing pants" would solve anything this time.

His name was being called.

Aang got to his feet, walking around.

"Where are you?!" He grumbled, eyelids already closing again.

"Right here."

His spine straightened as he stared at the small child in front of him.

Close set, angular eyes, hazel eyes. A shaved head. A very faded rag of orange and yellow.

Memories filled Aang's mind.

A name came to him.

"Tashi?"

"Actually, I'm his great-granddaughter."


	2. Aang Gets Alone Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (TO THE TUNE OF SOFIA THE FIRST)
> 
> Aang was a monk in the temple doing all right, then Sozin attacked while he was in ice, now he's got to take Katara's advice and reconnect with his ancestry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will tie into Legend of Korra (ALL of LoK) but I...do not have this prewritten. At all. So it'll take a while.

**ZUKO**

Something was wrong.

Something was absolutely wrong.

Aang had grown quiet. Zuko didn't know him very well and was barely even part of this group (in his mind, at least)...but that didn't seem like the Aang thing to do. He'd flown off, using his glider, and they were all left to stare at his outline in the sky.

"What's up with him?" Suki frowned, crossing her arms.

"He's had a bad week," Zuko blinked, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "He's probably just stressed."

"Yeah," Sokka breathed, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend. "Just stressed."

"Well, I'm going to look," Katara volunteered.

Zuko nodded. They had all been taking turns searching for the Nomad.

The cool air wafted around them as though trying to tell them something. Slowly, they all dispersed.

Suki and Toph were talking, laughing, they way normal teenage girls should. The way his sister and Ty Lee and Mai should. The way they'd used to, spending hours in the palace, running and laughing as Ursa watched them as though weirded out by the very idea of her daughter.

Sokka, Haru and Teo were in discussion about something, possibly related to mail delivery in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko didn't want to attempt to figure that out.

Zuko walked over to the fountain and sat in peace, remembering how him and his mom used to sit with the turtle ducks. He felt a pang of guilt. Azula should have sat with them, maybe then-

A swoop let them know Aang was back.

* * *

**AANG**

As soon as he set flight, he knew he should've stayed. He knew he shouldn't have yelled.

It wasn't fair. None of them had done anything wrong. Not Tashi or Monk Gyatso or the 5 monks named Tenzin or anyone else.

Why had he survived for 100 years?  
(why hadn't they?)

Aang shook those thoughts out of his head.

He had a mission.

"Kannika!" He called. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

A talon rose up from the rocks and almost hit him straight in the face.

"Ahhhh-"

Aang twisted upside down and hung onto his glider for dear life.

"Hey! Hey, Mr. Talon Man...or Mrs. Talon Woman...or-"

The scaled finger lashed out again, the way a farmer would whip their donkey. It hit his face and a red droplet dripped onto his hand.

Oh.

His legs wrapped tighter around the wood as his hand slipped off.

"C'mon! I'm the Avatar! I'm the bridge between-"

' _THE BRIDGE BETWEEN THE WORLDS, HUH?'_

"Uh, never mind, I'll just go!" He squeaked, willing the air to push him back to the Western temple.

"Aang? Aang!"

His eyes shot up and he sighed, relaxing. There she was, staring at him with wide brown eyes.

Katara.

"I'm sorry," He mumbled.

"Hmph." She studied him, eyes softening in concern at the wound on his forehead. She was dressed in traditional water tribe clothes. They suited her much better than anything else. "What have you been doing for the past 2 hours?"

2 hours? It had felt like 10 minutes at the most.

"I...I was looking for something." _Someone,_ actually.

"For three hours. Did you find it?" He shook his head. Katara stared at him.

"I'm really sorry. C-Can we go back to the temple?" Aang looked like he was about to cry.

She wrapped her arms around him. He relaxed, leaning on her shoulder.

"I know it's hard for you to be here, Aang," Katara mused. "But you need to let go of the past."

* * *

**KATARA**

Aang's face was...angry (Aang-ry?) almost, as he pulled back.

"I can't do that. You're not being fair."

"What are you talking about? Aang, you told me with Yon Rha-"

"I know, I know," The airbender sighed. "But you don't understand!"

"Make me understand!" Katara cried, crossing her arms.

"There are still airbenders that are alive and I can't find them. What kind of Avatar am I, huh? I've completely failed my people."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, I live off of them.


	3. The Map

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have some Zutara crumbs to make up for the fact that this story will 100% NOT be Zutara. 
> 
> And remember Toph's awesome nicknames for people? I love her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zutara's a 10/10 very valid ship. If you ship it, good for you! I tip my hat to you! I just don't ship it myself.

"Is Aang okay?" Zuko frowned. He was dressed in Fire Lord robes that had been sharp enough the pierce the hull of an empire class Fire Nation battleship leaving thousands to drown at sea (because it was so sharp) on Ozai, but just looked awkward on his son.

"I don't know," Katara sighed, waving her hand idly and making the water in the fountain they were next to dance. "It's like...he's speaking a whole different language and I can understand it perfectly but when I try to say something back, the words come out all wrong."

"Where is he?"

The waterbender stood up and led the way to the room Aang loved. He was sitting next to Sokka, poring over a map, making little dots every here and there.

"HERE YOU ALL ARE!"

Katara and Zuko practically jumped out of their skin, turning around with murderous expressions on their faces to stare at a smirking Toph (Suki, Teo and Haru were beside them and The Duke was clearly eavesdropping). Sokka and Aang peered up at her with wide eyes.

"How'd you find us?" Aang pouted.

"Yeah, we were in secret!" Sokka accused, jumping to his feet.

"I could feel your movements with my earthbending, Snoozles."

"And Aang, you _literally told me where you were going,"_ Katara snorted.

"You two lose all your brain cells when you're together," Suki sighed.

Zuko, on the other hand, had simply moved closer to the map, robes swirling around him in the wind.

"Are we going...to all these places? Ba Sing Se? Kyoshi Island? The Isle of Bago?"

Sokka turned to the airbender, raising an eyebrow.

Aang's hands twisted in his robe and he inhaled and exhaled.

_You have to do this. For Gyatso, for Tenzin, for all of them._

"Some of the airbenders survived Sozin's attack!"

"What?"

"Hold up-"

"LET ME FINISH!" Aang clambered onto the table. "They survived 100 years ago, but they're all...and their descendants are still all around the world. I have to go find them."

Silence. There was no sound except the continuous gushes of wind and the not-last-after-all airbender's heavy breathing. _Please,_ he practically sobbed, _please, I need to find them._

"Then we will," Katara said surely, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Of course," Sokka agreed.

"Count me in!" Toph grinned, bumping her friend affectionately.

"Yeah!" Teo nodded enthusiastically, Haru right beside him.

"Me too," The Duke chimed in.

"I'll come," The Firelord promised. "Just...let me do something before we leave."

"Whatever you need to do, Zuko."

When their curious gazes turned to him, he sighed.

"I have to talk to Azula."


	4. A Much Needed Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Their mission actually starts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azula would 10/10 have Gen Z/Millennial humour, no matter what generation she is, and you can fight me on that.

Azula shook in her chains, a dark laugh ripping from her throat.

_You're here,_ she seemed to say.

"I'm here," Zuko nodded, kneeling to unchain her.

She launched herself backwards, growling at him.

"Please, 'Zula, let me unchain you. I just want to talk like people."

She raised her head, meeting his eyes for the first time. Her hair hung in her face, choppy and dirt-caked.

Finally, Azula raised her arms and moved so he could reach her ankles.

_CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP_

The metal fell to the ground.

"You could've firebent them."

Her voice was hoarse, not having been used for anything other than screaming and crying in the last week.

"I didn't want to burn you," he told her, extending a hand. Azula glared and rose to her feet on her own.

"Okay. Let's talk."

Zuko fumbled for a while before picking up a china teacup. He held it out and his sister snatched it from him.

It was quiet, the only sound being the slurp of a princess drinking her tea.

"You could light a lamp, y'know," she said, once finished. "Then the only dark in here would be in my heart."

Her brother sighed, long accustomed to her...jokes, if they could even be called that.

"Azula, I came here to ask you something" _the last time they'd talked was when they found their mother. what would they even say now?_ "We're going on a mission."

"A mission."

He was being vague, they both could tell.

"I won't see you for a long time. This mission could take years. I came...to say goodbye."

"What about your duties?"

Zuko stared blankly at her. What duties? His confusion must have shown on his face because Azula laughed. It was a nice laugh, really.

"Your duties as _Firelord,_ Zu-Zu."

"Uncle and Master Jeong Jeong are taking over. And..." he hesitated before saying, "I was hoping you might help."

"Help your mission or help run the nation? I'd equally fail at both."

"You're not a failure, 'Zula-"

"I hurt so many people," Azula's eyes glistened with unshed tears. " _I hurt people."_

Zuko put a hand on her shoulder and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

She hugged him, tears finally pouring.

He hugged her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, they make my forking day.


	5. Intros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're moving this plot along, baby!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, Sokka stans gonna yell at me a lot in this fic  
> And as a Sokka stan, I was yelling at myself while writing this 😭😭😭  
> (dw dw he's not dead, he will not die, i promise)

_ **KATARA** _

Aang gestured to the three people next to Appa and Momo.

"That's them! The airbenders."

Toph's eyes narrowed momentarily before she grinned and ran over to them.

Katara stayed back for a moment to wave goodbye to Suki and Sokka and then walked over to the trio herself.

"Katara, Toph, this is Yangchen. She's one of my best friends, Tashi's, great-granddaughter!"

"'Sup," Toph nodded. "I'm Toph Beifong."

"Oh yeah, you're the one who invented metalbending," Yangchen gasped.

Her voice was jarring, Katara thought. So different from those at the Southern Water Tribe. She had an accent, like the one Aang had when he first came from the ice, but pronounced some of her vowels like Zuko.

"I'm Katara," The waterbender searched from a conversation topic. "Uh, how old are you?"

"I'm 14!" 

Given by how Aang's eyes went wide, he hadn't known that. To be fair, Yangchen did look rather like a child, with her height and sparkling eyes.

Introductions went around and around. Katara gathered that Yangchen was the oldest of three, that the other girl, Ngonga, was her little sister and the youngest. The boy, Menzi, was not related to them (she had the good sense not to interrogate poor Yangchen and decided to ask Aang about him later).

* * *

As they prepared to leave, Katara smiled at the girl next to her, dark brown skin laced with deep dimples and the bare strands of black locks on top a shaved head, barely coming up to the waterbenders shoulder.

"I'm Katara!" It was a nice distraction from the goodbyes and the threat of their mission. Toph was loading all their bags on Appa, while Aang and Zuko looked over the map. Suki had had to go back to her Warriors, but promised she'd meet up with them eventually. Sokka...he was leaving too...

"Ngonga. Wait, you already knew that. It's very nice to meet you!"

Katara smiled as she watched the young airbender let the air take her onto the flying bison. Okay, young was a bit of a stretch. Ngonga was 11, only a year younger than Aang...

"She reminds me of you as a kid," Sokka grinned as he came to a stop beside her.

"Oh?" She punched his shoulder affectionately.

 _"Yeah. I'm gonna miss you, sister,"_ He smiled sadly, the words, spoken in the native watertribe language settling like a weight between them. "I'll be there with you soon."

(Aang cocked his head at the language of the water people, strange and harsh to his ears. In the months together, Southern Air Nomad and Southern Water Tribe accents had mixed and then mixed even more with the earthbender from Gaoling...Zuko hadn't been with them long, but already they had all began to adopt his different pitches. But now, with Sokka's native tongue rolling off his lips, the accent was pure watertribe.)

She nodded, embracing him and trying to ignore the fact that they were both tearbending. To put it blankly, it sucked that Sokka wasn't coming but he had to go settle matters with the Water Tribe. Katara knew that he would be right next to her if there was any possible way to be.

"There's a few airbenders to find in the Southern Water Tribe," Aang said softly as he joined their hug. "We'll meet up with you in a few weeks, Sokka."

"See you, dude," Toph said after a few moments. She made a small squawk as Aang pulled her into the hug too. 

"I will be back. I'm never going to abandon you. _Never,"_ Sokka murmured to them all. "You too, Zuko."

Katara looped her arm around the firelord, tugging him in too. She was fully aware of Suki squeezed between her and her brother.

Yangchen, Ngonga and Menzi stood to the side, staring at their little group.

Katara smiled through her tears and hugged her brother one last time before climbing onto Appa's worn saddle and clinging to his fur.

They were doing this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT KILLED ME TO MAKE SOKKA LEAVE, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.
> 
> BUT IT MADE SENSE. I HAD TO DO IT.
> 
> Don't worry, we will be seeing more of Sokka in this story, I couldn't possibly get rid of him for good.
> 
> ALSO 4 different nations with many sub-nation type places means many different accents and languages!
> 
> I imagine Sokka and Katara as Inuit and so that is what they would speak like. Since the names for the airbender OC's are Buddhist Tibetan names, that is what I imagine for them. And it was confirmed by the creators that the fire-nation is based on Imperialist Japan around the early 1900's so I tried to include that with the fact that Zuko would speak with a Japanese pitch accent (I think I am using that term correctly? I am not Japanese, or Buddhist or Tibetan or Inuit but I have done extreme research on all these groups.)


	6. Full Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KATARA IS BABY
> 
> I LOVE HER
> 
> KATARA HATERS, GO STEP ON LEGOS, WTF DID SHE DO WRONG?
> 
> I mean, y'all are entitled to an opinion, I'm not gonna fight you or something.  
> But this user is a kATARA STAN!!!!!!!

Katara leaned her head on Aang's shoulder, staring at the sun, sinking further and further in the sky.

They all sunk with it, ( _all except for her, for she drew power from Yue's light_ ) letting out a sigh as he rested against Appa's warm fur.

Katara inhaled sharply, feeling the power run through her, pierce her heart, course in her veins.

"It's a full moon," Aang said softly. They both shivered.

Zuko's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. A horrible reminder to all of them that he was a _new_ addition.

He didn't _know._

Ngonga was staring at them in wonder. Yangchen was fast asleep, her hands tangled in Appa's reins. Menzi stared at a distant point, far away.

Yue was rising, pushing and pulling in her orbit.

_Push._

Controlling the ocean waves.

_Pull._

Controlling the sky.

_Push._

Controlling Katara.

There she sat, watching the sky fade from orange to pink to purple to dark, majestic blue.

Aang had fallen asleep, his head lolling against her and quiet snores told her that Zuko had also succumbed to dreams.

"Hey," a soft voice called. Katara turned to see Ngonga with the reins in her hand, having taken them from Yangchen. "You should get to sleep. I know where we are and we'll be able to land soon."

"Oh. Can you-"

"-land Appa? I'm an airbender. I'll figure it out."

"Okay," The waterbender exhaled long and slow, lying down on her back. "Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a filler chapter because we're about to get down with the ACTION.
> 
> Also, Katara is amazing. I love her so freaking much. We stan a true queen.


	7. A Glance At The Flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so so so sorry, it's been so long, i-  
> i don't even have any excuses, i just haven't been feeling this fic lately  
> however, i'm pumped for the show so here you guys go:

Laughter rang through the air. 

Zuko and Aang were clutching their sides, Toph roaring with glee and Katara fighting a smile.

Ngonga smiled softly. How had she gotten so lucky? A couple days ago, it had just been her, her sister and Menzi.

Now, she had all these people.

"Guys! _GUYS!"_ They all spun around to see Menzi run into their encampment, clutching his knees.

He waved a flyer through the air.

Yangchen stood up, grimacing at the way her muscles stretched, and took it from him.

Her face did not change.

She slowly handed the flyer to Zuko, who took one look at it and dropped it on the ground.

"Oh spirits," Aang gasped, his hand clutching his glider so hard that his knuckles were white.

"That's definitely not good," Katara agreed, her eyes softening as she wrapped an arm around Zuko.

Zuko leaned against her shoulder, his other hand gripping Aang.

"Uh, guys? Blind girl here," Toph waved.

Ngonga read it aloud, stumbling over a few words, " ' _Firelord Zuko mysteriously disappears after letting criminal sister go. Here's how you can help get a real leader on the throne,' "_ She paused, realizing that they did not, in fact want to know how to get a different leader on the throne.

"...Zuko?"

The firebender stood, looking down. "I have to go lead my people."

"Zuko, we've come so far-"

"I have to go to them," he repeated, squeezing his eyes shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S SO SHORT, I KNOW  
> I'M SO VERY SORRY  
> but i'm trying my best into getting into this fandom and little chapter's are all i can do for now


End file.
